Cancers are the leading cause of death in animals and humans. The exact cause of cancer is not known, but links between certain activities such as smoking or exposure to carcinogens and the incidence of certain types of cancers and tumors has been shown by a number of researchers.
Many types of chemotherapeutic agents have been shown to be effective against cancers and tumor cells, but not all types of cancers and tumors respond to these agents. Unfortunately, many of these agents also destroy normal cells. The exact mechanism for the action of these chemotherapeutic agents are not always known.
Despite advances in the field of cancer treatment the leading therapies to date are surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Chemotherapeutic approaches are said to fight cancers that are metastasized or ones that are particularly aggressive. Such cytocidal or cytostatic agents work best on cancers with large growth factors, i.e., ones whose cells are rapidly dividing. To date, hormones, in particular estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, and some antibiotics produced by a variety of microbes, alkylating agents, and anti-metabolites form the bulk of therapies available to oncologists. Ideally cytotoxic agents that have specificity for cancer and tumor cells while not affecting normal cells would be extremely desirable. Unfortunately, none have been found and instead agents which target especially rapidly dividing cells (both tumor and normal) have been used.
Clearly, the development of materials that would target tumor cells due to some unique specificity for them would be a breakthrough. Alternatively, materials that were cytotoxic to tumor cells while exerting mild effects on normal cells would be desirable. It is believed that these benzimidazole compositions when used in conjunction with chemotherapeutic agents can reduce the growth of cancers and tumors, including leukemia. It has been found that the benzimidazoles are especially effective in suppressing the growth of the cancer, tumor, virus, or bacteria. The use of these benzimidazoles in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents which are effective in destroying the tumor is a novel method of treatment.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a pharmaceutical composition that is effective in inhibiting the growth of tumors and cancers in mammals with mild or no effects on normal cells.
More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide an anti-cancer composition comprising a pharmaceutical carrier and a benzimidazole derivative and a chemotherapeutic agent as defined herein along with a method for treating such cancers.
The benzimidazole compositions are also effective against viruses and can be used to treat viral infections. Therefore it is another object of this invention to provide a method of treating viral infections such as HIV, influenza and rhinoviruses wherein the benzimidazole is administered in conjunction with a potentiator.
These and other objects will become evident from the following detailed description of this inventions.